Surah Al-An'am 6:111-121 - Quran Translation Commentary

111. And even if we sent down the angels to them and caused the dead to speak with them, and ranged all things before them, they would still not believe, unless Allah willed it ²⁰⁸. But most of them speak ignorantly²⁰⁹

112. And in this way we have appointed for every prophet an enemy ²¹⁰, devils among men and jinns, who inspire one another with flowery discourses²¹¹, by way of deception. But had your Lord willed, they could not have done so. So leave them to their imputations.

113. And (this respite is being given to them) so that the hearts of those who have no faith in the Hereafter may incline towards it ²¹², and they may delight in it, and that they may earn what they wish to earn.

114. Should I seek a judge other than Allah when it is He who has sent down to you the Book, explaining matters in detail²¹³? And those to whom we gave the Book²¹⁴ (before this) know that it has been sent down in truth from your Lord. Never be then of those who doubt.²¹⁵

115. And the words of your Lord are perfected in truth and justice.²¹⁶ None can change His words. And He hears all and knows all²¹⁷.

116. And were you to obey most of those who inhabit the earth, they will lead you away from the path of Allah. They follow nothing but doubts, and speak nothing but conjecture²¹⁸.

117. Verily Allah knows best who have strayed from His path, and those who are rightly guided²¹⁹.

118. So eat of (such flesh) on which Allah’s name has been pronounced, if you believe in His revelations²²⁰.

119. And why should you not eat of (such flesh) on which Allah’s name has been pronounced, when He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except when you are compelled to²²¹ ? And indeed there are many that mislead (others) by their desires, through ignorance. Verily, your Lord best knows the transgressors.

120. And forsake the open sin and the secret²²². Those who earn sin, will get due recompense for their earnings.

121. And do not eat (the flesh) of that on which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. It is sinful²²³. And the satans inspire their votaries to dispute with you. And if you obey them, you would indeed be polytheists²²⁴.

Commentary

208. Those who have already decided not to accept the truth, on account of their obstinacy or prejudices cannot be made to come round to accept it, even by showing them one miracle after another. when they have already decided not to accept the truth, they would try to interpret every miracle in one way or the other. However, if Allah wanted to compel them to embrace faith, then no person would have remained a non-believer. But such an arrangement is against the scheme of Allah, as His planning envisages that every person should have the freedom of making his own choice with regard to his faith.

209. That is: By ignoring this scheme of Allah. what they speak is mere sentimental stuff, not based on knowledge and reality, but on ignorance.

210. The storm of opposition, that was raging against the Last prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi wa sallam), in fomenting which trouble the devils among men and the jinns were in the forefront, is not a new thing. Every prophet had to face this kind of opposition.

The devils get a chance to foment trouble against the prophet only as a result of the respite given to the people by Allah. For this reason such a situation has been described as appointing an enemy for every prophet. It means that the devils could not have created any trouble, had they not got this respite from Allah, and Allah has given them this respite in order that in the battle of the truth and falsehood, the reality should come out clearly.

211. ‘Zukhrufal Qaul’ (flowery discourse) signifies those false statements which have been made alluring. For example, in the Quran when the command prohibiting the eating of the flesh of the naturally dead animals was revealed, the disbelievers tried to misguide the people by saying: “How funny the command was! The animal killed by man is lawful, while the animal killed by God is forbidden!”

In the present day misguiding propaganda is garbed in attractive language, like: ‘All religions are true,’ or ‘The paths leading to God are different. but the destination of all is one,’ or for limiting the growth of the family. this fascinating .slogan: we two and our two: the third not now. and after that never.’ Similarly shibboleths like: ‘Religion is concerned with private life.’ or ‘Equality for men and women:’ or ‘Religion is opiate:’ etc. etc. are the inventions of the imaginative but mischief- making persons.

212. It is a fact that the fascinating talk of the mischief makers against religion appeal and misguide only those persons whose minds are empty of the concept of the Hereafter.

213. That is: what is Truth and what is Falsehood can he decided by Allah alone. He is the Creator and also the Lord. He has sent down His decision in the form of Quran. Therefore. in all disputes this Book is the deciding factor. and enjoys the status of divine sanction. But you want me to accept some other thing as a judge beside Allah, and that in the matter of what is lawful and forbidden you want me to turn to things which have no divine sanction, e.g. the things which have become customary in the name of religion. or the culture that has come down as the heritage of the forefathers, or the superstitions which are the products of the pre-Islamic days.

214. Refers to those truthful and honest persons who belong to the people of the Book.

215. Although the direct addressee is the Last prophet (Peace be upon him) the message is for every reader of Quran. The purpose is to explain that the revelation of the Quran is not a unique thing, for before the revelation of Quran. Allah had revealed other scriptures to other prophets, the witnesses of which fact are the people of the Book, and among these, those who are truth loving, recognise the voice of the Quran to be the divine voice. Therefore, there is not even an iota of doubt about the Quran’s being a Divine Scripture.

216. That is: The promise that Allah had made to the people of the Book, before the coming of the Last prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wa sallam), and whose mention can be found in the Torah and Injeel, that promise has been fulfilled. Thus the truth of the word of Allah has been proved and the demand of justice has also been met, that is by the revelation of Quran Allah’s message has been convincingly conveyed to the people.

217. That is: Allah knows who denies the truth of His words and who believes in them.

218. In the matter of Truth and Falsehood, the deciding factor can be the argument or reason-, and not the majority of the supporters. In the matter of basic importance like the belief in God and religion, the majority of the people of the world had always been in ignorance, and has been acting by mere conjecture. This is the reason why the history of humanity has been the history of the decline of human morality and conduct. In modern times there is no evil that has not attained the form of an epidemic. In such a condition the majority of the people cannot provide leadership to the general people. This majority can, however, add to their waywardness. Therefore, Quran says that in the matter of truth and falsehood, people or ‘the public opinion’ cannot be the deciding factor, but the deciding factor can be those signs which are scattered in the cosmos and in the hearts of the people (i.e. system of the universe and man’s own nature) or it can be the Book of Allah, which enjoys the status of the Divine Sanction.

And when there comes to them a revelation, they say: “We shall not believe until we are given the like of what has been given to the messengers of Allah.” Allah knows best whom to appoint for His message. Soon the guilty will be overtaken by humiliation and severe punishment before Allah, for their plotting. (Al - Quran)

219. Therefore, accept the guidance of your, Lord, and do not be deceived by what is followed by the majority.

220. That is: The new methods and inventions which the people have introduced as customs also include methods which place irrelevant restrictions on eating and drinking, e.g. the idolaters of Arabia had declared a particular kind of animal as forbidden a she-camel which had given birth to a certain number of offsprings was forbidden. If while slaughtering such a she-camel even if the name of Allah is pronounced on it, its flesh was considered haram by these people. Therefore, Quran says that there should be no hesitation for the people of faith in eating the flesh of the animals which have been declared lawful by Allah and on whom the name of Allah has been pronounced while slaughtering them. Any hesitation in eating the flesh of such animals signifies that our hearts are still ruled by the polytheistic superstitions.

In the matter of food, the polytheists: of India are so superstitious that they have declared not only the eating of the flesh of certain animals as forbidden but also the eating of flesh itself has been outlawed.

221. Refers toVerse No.115 of SurahNahl,in which the following commandment was revealed:

“He has forbidden for you only the dead, blood, flesh of swine, and (the flesh of) that animal on which the name of other being than Allah has been pronounced, except for the person who is compelled to and who was neither desirous nor a transgressor: then Allah is Forgiver and Kind.”

It also shows that the Surah Nahl was revealed before the Surah Al-Ana‘m.

222. That is: Eschewing the external aspect of sin only’ is not sufficient but its internal effects should also be avoided. This is a general direction, which holds good for all kinds of sin. But taking into consideration the occasion, it refers to the sin which has been mentioned above, that is not eating the flesh of animals which have been declared lawful, on account of superstitions. Here it is emphasised that not only these polytheistic superstitions be discarded but along with it the mind and the heart should also be cleaned of its bad effects. Inclination of the heart towards the polytheistic superstitions or some of its effects that may be found in the heart is sin, though it may be hidden.

223. If while slaughtering an animal, the name of Allah is not pronounced on it, then eating its flesh is forbidden. Great emphasis has been placed in this command and it has been made clear that eating of such flesh would amount to’disobeying Allah.

Pronouncing the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal has been made necessary for this reason that men should realise that depriving a living being of life is not an ordinary matter, This right has been given to us by Allah who is the Creator of life. It is an expression of gratitude and also a strengthening factor for the belief in monotheism (Tawheed). Moreoever, it shuts the door of polytheism (Shirk), because idolaters slaughter their animals pronouncing the names of beings other than Allah and offer sacrifices to them, as if this method is among the rites of worship. Therefore, Quran has reserved this method only for Allah and declared it as a symbol of Allah’s worship.

224. When pronouncing the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal is considered a symbol of monotheism and not to do so a symbol of polytheism, then the question of showing any concession or compromise by the people of faith in this matter does not arise at all. But if they would be negligent in this matter, then it would be a sinful negligence. If they know that a particular animal has been slaughtered without Allah ‘s name being pronounced on it, or that those who have slaughtered that particular animal do not follow this practice, then they should necessarily avoid eating the flesh of such an animal. For a Muslim to be lenient in this matter would mean being lenient in a matter which touches the borders of polytheism. That is why a warning is given here that if you would obey the dictates of the devils, you would also be polytheists and idolaters.